


A Brush of Lips

by smaragdbird



Series: Terror Rare Pair Week [1]
Category: The Terror (TV 2018)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-28 21:54:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21399244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smaragdbird/pseuds/smaragdbird
Summary: Written for The Terror Rare Pair Weekkiss for comfort, kiss for love
Relationships: Captain Francis Crozier/Thomas Jopson
Series: Terror Rare Pair Week [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1542748
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26
Collections: The Terror Rarepair Week 2019





	A Brush of Lips

Jopson’s step was light and under different circumstance Crozier wouldn’t have even noticed him being there. Still, he kept his eyes close, feigning sleep. If Jopson knew he was awake, he’d take care of him and Crozier knew Jopson was running himself ragged as it was. Between him and Blanky, Crozier wasn’t sure that he had done to deserve such friendship, such devotion but he was going to prove worthy of it.

And as much as Jopson’s company brought him comfort, there was nothing Jopson could do for him right now. Sleep was the only cure, a blessing, a reprieve from the bouts of sickness, from shaking and the pain.

He felt Jopson lean over his best and resisted the urge to open his eyes. The duvet was tucked higher around his shoulders. Then then Jopson leaned even closer – close enough that Crozier could smell him, a sensation familiar after almost eight years, and brushed his lips against Crozier’s forehead.

He felt his breath catch in his throat and thought he had given himself away but Jopson moved on as if nothing had happened.

/

Sleep was the only thing that made the pain stop, but the pain more often than not left him unable to sleep. Lying awake in his cot was almost worse than the pain, feeling so useless, so helpless, with nothing to do but listen to the noises of the camp and pray for something to change. 

Jopson knew he was going to die, there was no way around it. There was no miracle that would save them, save him. The best he could hope for was to die with his captain by his side. That was the only wish he had left. 

Crozier came by often, more often than Jopson would have expected him to. He knew the captain had to be busy and yet he found the time to be at Jopson’s side nearly every time he was awake.

Moving hurt. Eating and drinking hurt. Even breathing hurt. Yet Crozier’s hands were gently when he took care of him and unfalteringly steady and strong. 

He could feel the edges of sleep clouding his mind, perhaps if he didn’t breathe too much, he could slip away from a bit. His body felt heavy, he could hear the tent opening flapping in the wind, it had looked like a bright sunny day earlier. Summer, it would be summer soon.

Familiar steps approached. Crozier. He wanted to open his eyes but found that he couldn’t. They were too heavy. A hand brushed the hair from his forehead, gently like summer breeze.

“We found a lead, Thomas”, Crozier said, quietly as if not to disturb him, fingertip caressing his face. “There’s fresh meat on the mainland. Food. Stay with me just a little bit longer.”

Crozier leaned over him and pressed his lips against Jopson’s forehead. Jopson wanted to say something, anything, but his body wouldn’t let him. “I’ll be back soon. Sleep well.”

Jopson didn’t know if reaching the mainland would be their salvation or not but he could hang on a little longer if his captain wanted him to.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me [ here](http://smaragdbird.tumblr.com/) on tumblr


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